An x-ray apparatus and an operation lighting

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a device, especially for dentists, comprising an X-ray apparatus and an operation lighting. According to the invention these two means are mounted in a common casing. In this casing the two means are facing two different directions, so that each of them can be brought into active position by turning the casing, which for this purpose is preferably pivotally mounted on a known supporting arm.

United States Patent 1 Lundin Apr. 17, 1973 54] AN X-RAY APPARATUS AND AN 1,992,335 2/1935 Tietig ..250/105 OPERATION LIGHTING 3,250,583 5/1966 Phillips ..250/9l X 1,755,025 4/1930 Schvacho ..250/9O [75] Inventor: Sven Vilhelm Emanuel Lundin,

Satravagen 25, Sweden FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: Humanteknik AB, Stockholm, 294,509 7/1928 Great Britain ..250/88 Sweden Primary Examiner-William F. Lindquist 2 F d: A 7 [2 1 pr l9 0 Att0rney-Y0ung & Thompson [2i] Appl. No.: 25,741

I [57] ABSTRACT Fomig Application y Dam The invention concerns a device, especially for Apr. 22 1969 Sweden ..5696/l969 dentists Comprising an y pp ratus and an operation lighting. According to the invention these two 52 us. c1 250/90, 32/22 means are mounted'in a common In this casing [51] on /16 the two means arefacin'g two different directions, so [58] Field of Search ..250/90, 91, 92, 85, that a of h be brought into active Position 250/88; 313/; 240/l A; 128/395, 396; by turning the casing, which for this purpose is 32/22 preferably pivotally mounted on a known supporting arm.

56 f 1 Re erences Cited 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,976,179 10 1934 Mann] ..250/

AN X-RAY APPARATUS AND AN OPERATION LIGHTING More and more dentists have begun to use the socalled sit down method, according to which the dentist works in sitting position with the patient in reclined position. Although the dentists chairs used for this purpose and adjustable to reclining position of the patient also can be used for the treatment of sitting patients, the interest has more and more been directed to the possibility of the dentist being able to work in the least fatiguing manner, which means that an ergometric line of thought has asserted itself among odontologists. The result hereof has been that a number of different means of assistance have been developed, which all have in common that they are placed as near as possible to the working place of the dentist, and accessible with the least possible effort.

Examples of such means of assistance are the instrument trays mounted for raising and lowering near the dentist's chair, the supports for the air pressure driven drill handles having balancing means for the weight of the hose etc. An operation lighting as well as an X-ray apparatus must further be accessible for the treatment of a patient by the sitting or standing dentist. This implies that the accessible space around the working dentist nowadays has been used to such an extent, that there are certain practical difficulties to find the necessary space for the equipment. For this reason a study has been made of the needs of the dentist for equipment and of the frequency with which the different details of equipment are used for dental operations. The purpose of this study has been to find out which of the means of assistance have a low frequency of use and therefore might be placed beyond the immediate reach of the working dentist and his assistant, so that the space, more valuable from the ergometric point of view within said immediate reach, might instead be used for existing or new pieces of equipment with a higher frequency of use. Special interest has been directed to the operation lighting, which has a very high frequency of use, and the X-ray apparatus, which has a relatively low frequency of use. Based on differences in frequencies of use the operation lighting should thus be placed within the immediate reach of the dentist and his assistant, while the X-ray apparatus should be placed beyond said immediate reach, so as to gain more space within said reach. Such a measure would certainly give a certain valuable amount of space but could in spite thereof not give the dentist the results of optimal efficiency since this measure would not have any influence on the rather long time necessary for preheating which must elapse between the switching on of the X-ray apparatus and the moment at which it can be used for photographing.

The present invention, which is based on the above named study of the equipment of a dentist, yields on the contrary a gain as well in space economy as in efflciency'by an important shortening of the pre-heating time for the apparatus, without necessitating therefore the removal of the operation lighting or of the X-ray apparatus from the space within immediate reach of the dentist or his assistant. Most essential for this purpose is, according to the invention, that the X-ray apparatus and the operation lighting are combined within one unit by mounting into a common support forming a casing for the device. Thereby the very frequently used operation lighting will, as a result of its relatively long time of ignition and of the surplus heat produced thereby, pre-heat the X-ray apparatus which thereby requires a much shortened preheating time, reduced wear of the X-ray tube and a uniform exposure time for the photographing.

In an especially appropriate embodiment of a unit or device constituted according to the invention the X-ray apparatus and the operation lighting are formed into one unit with the X-ray apparatus and the operation lighting mounted in different directions in a common mount, which in a manner known per se, is supported by and rotatably connected with an articulated supporting arm. By this embodiment the advantage is obtained, that only one single supporting arm system is necessary, which makes the device cheaper and yields a .better economy of space. The rotatability relative to the suspending arm permits, when the casing presents an appropriate handle, to turn the operation lighting away and to bring the X-ray apparatus to a position of use and vice versa in one single operation.

By forming the mount into a casing for the unit the apparatus has a pleasing appearance and is easy to keep clean. In order to obtain the necessary ventilation of this casing at least one free opening is provided therein.

The invention is described in the following and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the device, according to the invention, comprising an X- ray apparatus and an operation lighting. I

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatical section through this apparatus.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show two opposite end views one from the side of the X-ray apparatus and the other from the side of the operation lighting.

As shown in the drawing, the device, according to the invention, comprises an X-ray apparatus 1 and an operation lighting 2. These two are, as best shown in FIG. 2, mounted into a common mount 3 and can for the rest be of any appropriate known type. By their mounting in the common mount, which can be effected in any appropriate manner, the X-ray apparatus and the operation lighting are combined into a unit E.

In the embodiment illustrated the X-ray apparatus 1 and the operation lighting 2 are mounted into the common mount 3 with the objective 4 and respectively the reflector 5 with its incandescent element 6 directed in practically directly opposite directions. It is, however, also possible to mount the X-ray apparatus and the operation lighting in such positions relative to each other that they form another angle with each other than about l, e.g.

The mount 3 illustrated has the form of a casing for the device and this is, in order to obtain the desired adjustability for use, provided with a link pivot 7 connected with a supporting arm 8, of which only a part is shown, and which can be of any appropriate type and itself have articulations.

In order to facilitate the adjustment, the device has preferably an adjusting handle 9.

In order to obtain the necessary ventilation within the casing, this has slots 10, which when using the operation lighting are preferably open rearwards and upwards.

What I claim is:

LII

mounting said casing for pivotal movement about a plurality of axes disposed at angles to each other whereby said mounting means serves both for the positioning of said X-ray apparatus and alternatively for the positioning of said operation lighting. 

1. A device for dentists, comprising an X-ray apparatus and an operation lighting, a casing, said X-ray apparatus and said operation lighting being both enclosed in and supported by said casing so that said operation lighting when lit preheats said Xray apparatus, said operation lighting and X-ray apparatus poinTing in different directions, and means adjustably mounting said casing for pivotal movement about a plurality of axes disposed at angles to each other whereby said mounting means serves both for the positioning of said X-ray apparatus and alternatively for the positioning of said operation lighting. 